


Writer In The Dark

by the10amongstthese3s



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: One Shot, True Crime, i honestly don't know how to tag this one, mentions of death and kidnapping, of course I had to throw some fluff in too, parr angst is the best angst, writer is braindead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23918818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the10amongstthese3s/pseuds/the10amongstthese3s
Summary: When Catherine Parr develops an unhealthy obsession with true crime, it's up to the other queens to figure out why.
Comments: 23
Kudos: 120





	Writer In The Dark

True crime can be an extremely interesting topic. Catherine Parr found cold cases fascinating. Kidnappings, missing person cases, anything like that, and the woman was pretty much guaranteed to have an interest.

You see, in the 16th century, there was never anything so captivating. There were no DNA tests, or fingerprints, or wide-spread news coverage. If a child went missing, it was hailed a tragedy and then forgotten. If somebody turned up dead, there was no real way to prove who may have been behind it. Sure, sometimes people would be tried and hung, but you could never be sure whether they really did commit their crimes.

The invention of CCTV was something Parr found particularly interesting. Just imagine how different the queens’ lives may have been if there had been cameras placed around court to prove their innocence. 

Or guilt.

Nowadays, there were so many ways to research cases. Podcasts, books, documentaries. The internet truly was a wondrous thing. Parr found herself constantly checking Youtube - a platform she once deemed silly thanks to Anne Boleyn’s love of prank videos - for new cases.

In all honestly, the progression from interest to obsession worried the other queens. In fact, they found it slightly scary how invested she seemed. Still though, they knew they couldn’t deter the woman from an interest she was so passionate about. 

On the plus side, at least she was finally focusing on something other than her writing. Though, this new obsession was just another excuse for her to stay holed up in her study all day.

At some point, it became the only thing she talked about.

“Hey, darling. Would you like some more coffee?” Aragon asked one day, peering inside the messy study. 

“Cathy, look at this! This little girl was missing for almost thirty years before they tracked her down! Isn’t that amazing? Thirty years!” Parr had responded, leading into a tangent about DNA testing and the case on a whole.

Of course, the girl couldn’t just answer the question. It was nice seeing her so excited about something, but it would have been nicer if that something didn’t involve an abduction.

Is that so much to ask?

_“So… was that a yes or a no to coffee?”_

Aragon never did get an answer to her offer of more coffee that day. Instead, she simply listened to her goddaughter ramble for a while longer before excusing herself to go help Jane make dinner. God knows something was wrong if Catherine of Aragon was willing to cook to escape a situation. 

The hyperfixation was cute at times. Nobody could help but smile at how excited Parr would get when explaining a happy ending in a case, or a new lead in a cold case. Her enthusiasm was adorable.

Sometimes, though, it got to be overwhelming.

Eventually, the women had to ban any talk of cases at the dinner table. The discussions of all the disgusting things involved in the cases had been giving Kit nightmares. In all honesty, the others would be lying if they said they weren’t suffering the same consequences. Even Cleves was getting creeped out.

It wasn’t until they discussed the strange fascination with the Ladies in Waiting that the queens realised something. Something seemingly insignificant if it had been anyone else.

Parr only focused on cases involving children. 

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Of course the woman with no records of her daughter would be the one the most interested in this stuff. The only cold case the woman truly cared about was that of the sweet little girl she left behind, who seemingly vanished alongside her.

Perhaps, she was hoping to somehow find a clue into how she could discover more about her little girl. Or, maybe investing her time in studying other cases like Mae’s made her feel useful. Was it some release from her constant guilt and mourning? 

One thing was certain; this was more than just some simple hobby to Parr.

From that moment on, the women knew they had to do all they could to support the girl. If this was her way of mourning, of course they would go out of their way to help however they could. 

They all supported her in their own ways. Boleyn and Cleves opted to propose a documentary night once a week for the three of them, differentiating between some sweeter nature shows, various history docs, and the true crime shows Parr picked. 

Jane, on the other hand, offered to join Parr on her trips to the library. 

The dyslexic queen always had struggled with her reading. So, whilst Parr studied her cases, Jane would quietly practise her reading and writing. As it turned out, that was a rather good plan. Whenever she could tell Parr was in need of a break, Jane would ask for some help to distract her from her case for a little while. 

Plus, of course, she always kept the girl’s coffee full and made sure she remembered to eat lunch.

Aragon simply acted as someone for the girl to ramble on to about all she studied. She didn’t have any interest in the subject itself, but she did love seeing her goddaughter excitedly explain whatever she’d been researching. 

And Kit?

Well, Kit didn’t do any of that.

That’s not to say she didn’t offer any support, though. Sure, she found it too triggering to hear about the cases. In fact, she’d had panic attacks on more than one occasion because of it. However, that didn’t mean she was useless. In fact, Kit may have been the most impactful of all. 

Instead of engaging Parr in conversation about the topic, Kit did the exact opposite. If she thought the woman needed rest, it was Kit who would ground her.

Parr’s little beacon, guiding her back to safety.

Even with her tunnel vision, Parr knew the girl couldn’t stand to be around that sort of thing. So, as soon as she saw her standing in the doorway, the woman would turn off her laptop and invite the girl in. Night after night, Kit would force Parr to cuddle up with her in bed, smiling away to herself as she watched the writer drift off. 

Parr may not have had Mae, but she did have her family. A family that, she knew, would do anything for her.

For now, that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, ducklings! 💚 This was not at all inspired by me watching 5 hours of content on the Ken and Barbie Killers. Sorry if it was a little rambly - I went braindead halfway through 😂🦆


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